Twisted Fates
by hyperpunk1123
Summary: A half-elf from a protected land and a commander of a deadly army meet by chance. . . and their lives are changed forever.rnWill it be enough to maintain the balance and save the half-elf's homeland?
1. Default Chapter

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

_The people of Krynn had become evil, corrupted, and bloodthirsty. Evil spread like a plague throughout the land, infecting all, destroying hope and twisting the souls of those who had once been good. Times were dark. Most were blind to the evil and it thus consumed them. But some saw through the darkness and remembered the light. Some even resisted the evil, and wished for it to leave the land. These people, some men, some elves, banded together and sought to end the reign of darkness. But it could not be undone. Their hope all but spent, they decided to leave Ansalon and form a new world on a far-off island, a world where only good survived. They established their homeland there and named it Havenost, setting up laws that encouraged the happiness of all. Centuries passed, and goodness returned to Ansalon. But the Havenesti stayed in their land, for Ansalon was not as full of goodness as Havenost. By now Havenost had grown and become a huge nation, and no one had entered it for five hundred years. No one even believed it existed. It had become a myth, a bedtime story for toddlers, that somewhere on Krynn was a land of only beauty and happiness, and if you were good you could find it. . . .   
But on Krynn lived a power-hungry lord, a lord who had realized as a child that every myth began as a true tale. He swore to find the land, and bring it under his control. Too long had it stood against the rest of Krynn. Too long had there been a land so pure and untainted. The time had come. Lord Amali was going to conquer. _

Amber Italya walked through the sun-filled wood of Havenost. She had journeyed all day from the capital city, and was eager to return to her woodland lair: a beautiful glen through which a stream ran, ending in a cascading waterfall which covered the entrance to a cave. The sun was setting as Amber entered the glen, and as she stepped onto the mossy floor, her sharp green-gold eyes immediately detected that something was not right. Baskets of food had been moved, and the thick cotton tapestry that lay over a chest had been ruffled. Amber's eyes narrowed, scanning the room for an intruder. But the cave was empty. Her first thought was that an animal had entered the cave, but as soon as she thought this, she knew it was untrue. No animal could unscrew the top of preserve jars, remove food, and put the top on again. For food was definitely missing from the jars. Thoughts flooded Amber's mind, none of them making any sense. No Havenesti would invade another's home without permission, and no Havenesti could mistake this as an abandoned home. Only one thought was plausible: a non- Havenesti had entered the land. Amber knew it was nearly impossible, but could think of no explanation. She turned to head back toward the city, to report this to the queen. As she turned around, however, something glinting caught her eye. She picked up a heavily tooled ring off the floor, a ring that had definitely not been made in Havenost. Amber put the ring in the pouch on her belt, planning to bring it as proof that an intruder had entered, and then headed for the door.   
Suddenly, she felt cold steel at her back. Amber tried to turn around, but the metal bit into her flesh, and she winced in pain.   
"That's mine," a deep voice said. "And if you take it, it's stealing. And stealing is not very nice, is it? Of course, kidnapping sweet-looking half-elves isn't nice either, but I can do it 'cause I 'm not Havenesti."  
That was the last thing Amber heard before everything went black.


	2. Visions and Truth

A fuzzy, greenish light shone above Amber's head.

"An emerald," she thought, and tried to grasp it, desiring to examine the gem. But stones weighed on her hands, and she couldn't lift them above her head to reach it. The stones were hurting her arms, dragging her underwater. She tried to swim to the surface, crying out for the sea elves to save her, but they only circled overhead, laughing at her.

"Help me!" she cried to them.

But their faces were changing, swimming in and out of focus, and melding together to form one face, the face of a human.

"Nightmares, half-elf?" the face said, its accent not of Havenost.

Amber blinked, and she realized she was huddled in the corner of a small boat, which was floating along in a clear river. Amber could tell they were still in Havenesti, and greenish sunlight filtering down told her they were in the forest, but she didn't recognize the area. A human male was sitting opposite her, dressed like one of the soldiers from the old stories, stories about the outer lands.

The outer lands!

Amber sat bolt upright, preparing to clamber out of the boat, but she couldn't move her hands, and, noting the stinging pains in them, she realized they were bound behind her back.

The soldier chuckled.

"No, I can't have you running off now, My Lady. That wouldn't be very prudent, to go off to your fabled city and find out that you'd ratted all of us out and all you and your mates had run off into these accursed woods. So I am sorry, but you are going to stay with me."

It took a few seconds for his words to sink in. Amber couldn't believe that anyone would want to attack the beautiful city, nor could she believe that he could call the wood accursed when it was so full of life and pure magic. Yet she was careful not to let her shock or utter horror show in her face. Until she could escape, she might as well use the situation to Havenost's advantage.

"You're all alone, but you think you can storm our city? You're mad!"

He laughed, a rich, full laugh that seemed to come from deep inside him.

"Alone? No, little maid, it is _you_ who is mad if you think I would ever come alone."

"Well, you _were _alone, until you caught me, and I don't even count as being un-alone, because I would never storm the city with you. And if you think there are others with you, then you are most definitely hallucinating, and are undeniably out of your mind."

The soldier laughed again.

"I like your wit, half-elf maid," he said. "What's your name?"

"My name should mean nothing to you." Amber replied. Thinking quickly, she added,

"Tell me your name first, sir. I'm afraid I don't tell my name to strangers." She paused. He had begun chuckling again.

"Yes, you definitely have wit, Lady. Alright, you win, I shall tell you my name." He smiled wickedly. Amber hated it, but she liked his smile. It was slightly crooked, and full of happiness and mischief. Despite herself, she began to smile too. "You can't tell anyone what my name is though, ok? I mean, if you were ever to escape, I don't want them to know my name. Lord Am--, I mean, my lord would have me killed for telling you my name and then letting you escape. It would be a double offense and would earn me a death sentence." He leaned towards her as if about to divulge a life-altering shred of gossip. "My name is Commander Ryland Blaze, and I am the commander of the entire Covdiem Forces, second only to the Lord Amali himself." The commander grinned. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that, so just pretend you don't know, alright?"

"Why would I ever do anything to help you?" Amber demanded, her smile vanishing. "You have invaded my home, a home that my ancestors built with their own toil, sweat, and blood, and a land that we have loved for centuries. We never bothered you. Why are you going to take that away from us?"

Ryland shrugged. "Why not?"

Amber glared. "Well you must have a reason of some sort. Or maybe not. You of the outer lands have always been twisted and evil, with no good reason. I suppose you just like to see suffering."

Ryland raised an eyebrow. "We aren't all evil. I'm not evil; I just like having power above others. Most people have to please hundreds of lords who are above them, and constantly fear for their lives. I only have to answer to one, and fear one: Lord Amali. And he might be evil, but he treats those under his command fairly. I live this way to keep myself safe and rich enough to survive. No, Lady, I am not evil. I just know what I want, and this is the best way to get it."

Amber couldn't believe her ears.

"So you and all your people just _allow_ yourselves to be oppressed, and go along with whatever an evildoer commands because you are too _cowardly_ to stand up for what you believe to be right? Why don't you all rise against him if you are all so scared? Surely one man, no matter how evil, is no match for _all _of you? Or why don't you flee to Havenost and ask for refuge?"

Ryland's face darkened. "As if your people would ever let us in! There have been those in the past who have tried, but they were turned away. And it is not just one evil lord, there are quite a few, Lady, and you have no idea of fear or evil, or what it can do to someone, because you have never had to face it."

He turned away from her, his face dark and brooding. Amber sighed, lookind around at the trees, trying to think of a way to escape. An odd feeling was tugging at her, one she could not understand. It had been such an odd day, with such odd happenings in such a short time, and she had heard that those from the outer lands were despicable and horrid, yet Ryland didn't seem so, and although she didn't know why, Amber knew she would miss him once she had escaped. Not wanting to admit this to herself for more than a few moments, Amber decided that she would try to find out as much about the scout's plans and the plans of his troops. With this thought fresh in her mind, Amber settled back into the boat and began contemplating what exactly to find out.


	3. Caught?

As the sun sank below the horizon, Ryland pulled the boat to a sandy embankment, and hid it in rushes that lined the shore. Amber stood by him, watching him struggle to erase the marks that had been left in the sand when he dragged the boat.

"I could use some help," he said, the first words he had spoken to her since his sharp words earlier in the afternoon.

"Help yourself," Amber snapped, in a tone she did not recognize as her own.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryland demanded.

"I mean that if you wish to be such a coward that you can't stand up for what you believe in, and you choose instead to follow another's evil path and invade a land that never threatened you, well, then you will have to do it by yourself and seek your own help."

Ryland halted in his labor and stood up. "I thought you elves were supposed to be all sweetness, but I guess not. You, Lady, could match some from Ansalon with your sharp tongue.

Amber said nothing, but only watched as Ryland pulled dried rations from his pack, and handed some to her. Amber bit into them hungrily, trying to think of something to say that could lead to the man revealing more information. But her mind was tired, and, without coming up with any questions, she sank into a deep slumber.

Steady movement awoke her, and when she opened her eyes, a shock hit her. The world had turned upside down, and her neck ached. It took Amber several seconds to realize that Ryland was carrying her, and her head was lolling back in a most awkward position.

She lifted her head. "Where are we going?" Amber demanded. "I can walk, you know. Put me down!"

Ryland kept his eyes on the path. "I am aware of your abilities, Lady, but your comrades will look for you, and there is no need to leave your footprints leading them straight to camp. "

"But they will see yours!" Amber protested. "Surely you haven't overlooked that! Yours will stand out more than mine!"

"But they aren't looking for mine. Lady, they are looking for yours. Of course I thought of that."

Amber sighed, unsure of what to do. She didn't want to get caught, much as she hated to admit it to herself. This had great potential to be an adventure, and if he led her to camp, she could escape and warn the others.

They were silent for a time. Suddenly Ryland grinned. "You know, Lady, you are clever."

"I knew that," Amber snapped.

Ryland smirked. "You still haven't told me your name."

Amber shrugged. "And I am not going to." She glanced at his face. He didn't look surprised or angry, but. . . there was something in his look that Amber couldn't quite place. Was it hurt?

She didn't have time to ponder it. Voices were coming from behind them.

"Amber? Amber! Where are you?"

"Your friends," Ryland said. "We're caught!"

"Not we, Ryland, you."

"Whatever, I am not letting you get away," Ryland said. Before Amber knew what was happening, Ryland clapped his hand over her mouth, pinning her arms to her sides. There was no way she could warn her friends, and Amber watched them grow closer, feeling helpless, and afraid of what Ryland would do if they were found.


	4. Let Me Breathe

"Amber! Where are you? Amber!"

The voices were drawing closer, and Ryland was searching desperately for a place to hide. His eyes fell upon a low shrubbery, and, keeping a firm hand over Amber's mouth and another tightly around her waist, pinning her arms behind her back in a useless position, he dragged both of them underneath it. It was a poor hiding place, but unless Amber's friends were doing a thorough search, which Ryland strongly doubted they were, as they were inexperienced in matters of abduction and, in Ryland's opinion, too soft, it would serve his purpose.

At least Ryland hoped it would. He couldn't risk Amber's friends finding him; he couldn't take any more prisoners, and if he killed them, their bodies would be found and an alarm would be raised. Worse yet, if they saw Ryland and escaped, they would raise an even greater alarm.

Nearly suffocating from the pressure of Ryland's hand over her mouth, Amber struggled to wriggle free from hid grip so that she could take a breath of air. Ryland, however, was unaware of her plight and simply believed that she was trying to free herself so that she could alert her comrades, and thus refused to move his hand. Amber tapped his hand, hoping to gain his attention so that she could pantomime her problem.

Luckily for her, Ryland, was extremely edgy and reacted immediately to the slightest touch. He whipped his head around quickly to look at her.

"What do you want?" he mouthed, not letting a sound escape his lips.

Amber pointed to his hand, and then pointed to her nose, trying to convey that she needed to breathe. It took Ryland a few seconds to catch on.

Ryland thought for a moment, and then, more silently than Amber would ever have believed possible, slid a knife from his belt and pointed to her throat, then, slid his finger across her throat. The message was clear. If she made noise that would give them away, he would slit her throat. She nodded, and he removed his hand, sliding the knife back into his belt.

Amber inhaled deeply, with a little less caution now that her friends had turned away from the hiding place. Ryland looked alarmed, but none of the Havenesti had heard. Instead, they walked away, towards where Amber and Ryland had made camp the night before. Ryland breathed a sigh of relief, and dragged himself out from under the bush, dragging Amber after him.

A hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Hiding from me?" a teasing voice asked.


End file.
